CBS DOMINATES SCRIPTED PROGRAMMING, DELIVERING TOP 5 SERIES AND 12 OF THE TOP 15 FOR THE WEEK

"NCIS" #1 Scripted Series for the Week

"NCIS," "NCIS: Los Angeles" and "Criminal Minds" are the Top Three Dramas;

"Two and a Half Men" and "The Big Bang Theory" Top Two Comedies

"The Big Bang Theory" Reaches Series Record High for Thursday

Big Return for "Rules of Engagement" as the Sixth-Year Comedy Registers its Best Fall Premiere in Viewers and Adults 18-49 Since 2007

CBS dominated scripted programming for the week ending Oct. 23, delivering the top 5 scripted series and 12 of the top 15 in an atypical ratings week that included four primetime World Series games and other sporting events, according to Nielsen live plus same day ratings.

NCIS was the week's number one program. NCIS, NCIS: LOS ANGELES and Criminal Minds were the top three dramas, while Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory were the top two comedies.

The Big Bang Theory set a Thursday 8:00 PM high in viewers, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54 followed by the sixth season premiere of Rules of Engagement which had its best fall premiere in viewers and adults 18-49 since 2007.

For the week in viewers: CBS (10.96m), NBC (5.33m), ABC (8.64m) and FOX (11.92m). Season-to-date CBS is first (12.70m) followed by FOX (9.64m), ABC (9.60m) and NBC (7.23m).

For the week in key demographics: CBS was second in adults 18-49 (2.6/07) and adults 25-54 (3.6/09). Season-to-date, CBS is first in adults 25-54 (4.4/11) and second in adults 18-49 (3.3/09).

CBS Weekly Highlights:

How I Met Your Mother was first in adults 25-54 (4.7/12), adults 18-49 (4.2/12), adults 18-34 (3.9/12), second in both households (6.1/09) and viewers (9.81m). Compared to last week, How I Met Your Mother was up +11% in households (from 5.5/08), +9% in adults 25-54 (from 4.3/10), +5% in both adults 18-49 (from 4.0/11) and adults 18-34 (from 3.7/10) and added +920,000 viewers (from 8.89m, +10%).

Two and a Half Men was first in adults 25-54 (6.7/14), adults 18-49 (5.3/13), adults 18-34 (4.1/11), second in both households (9.1/13) and viewers (15.14m). Two and a Half Men was the night's #1 program in adults 25-54 and adults 18-49.

MIKE & Molly was first in adults 25-54 (5.1/11), adults 18-49 (3.9/09), second in households (7.0/10) and viewers (11.51m). MIKE & MOLLYwas up +2% in adults 25-54 (from 5.0/11), even in adults 18-49 compared to last week.

NCIS: LOS ANGELES was first in households (9.3/14), viewers (15.35m), second in adults 25-54 (4.7/10, -0.1 behind FOX) and second in adults 18-49 (3.4/08). Compared to last week, NCIS: LOS ANGELES was up +2% in adults 25-54 (from 4.6/10) and +3% in adults 18-49 (from 3.3/08).

Rules of Engagement (P) was first in adults 25-54 (5.0/12), adults 18-49 (3.6/10), second in both households (6.7/11) and viewers (11.45m). Compared to its Fall 2010 premiere (Monday, September 20, 2010), Rules of Engagement was up +29% in households (from 5.2/08), +32% in adults 25-54 (from 3.8/09), +16% in adults 18-49 (from 3.1/08) and added +3.08m viewers (from 8.37m, +37%). Compared to the Thursday premiere in February 2011, Rules of Engagement was up +18% in households (from 5.7/09), +35% in adults 25-54 (from 3.7/09), +29% in adults 18-49 (2.8/08) and added +2.02m viewers (from 9.43m, +21%).

Person Of Interest was second in households (7.7/12), viewers (12.42m), third in both adults 25-54 (3.9/09) and adults 18-49 (2.7/07). Compared to last week, Person Of Interest was even in adults 25-54 and added +380,000 viewers (from 12.04m, +3%).

The Mentalist was second behind FOX's baseball in households (8.1/13), viewers (12.54m), adults 25-54 (3.7/09) and adults 18-49 (2.5/07). Compared to last week, The Mentalist was up +4% in households (from 7.8/13), +6% in adults 25-54 (from 3.5/08), even in adults 18-49 and added +150,000 viewers (from 12.39m, +1%).

A Gifted Man was first in households (5.6/10), viewers (8.67m), adults 25-54 (2.0/06) and tied for second in adults 18-49 (1.2/05, with ABC). A Gifted Man won its time slot in viewers for the fifth consecutive week, was first with adults 25-54 for the fourth time in five weeks. A GIFTED MANposted its best deliveries in households, viewers and adults 25-54 since Sept. 23, 2011 (series premiere) and matched the last three weeks in adults 18-49.

THE Amazing Race 19 was up +7% in households (5.9/09 from 5.5/08), +3% in adults 25-54 (3.7/08 from 3.6/08), even in adults 18-49 (2.7/07) and added +390,000 viewers (9.60m from 9.21m, +4%) compared to last week.

Prime averages are based on the following hours of rated broadcasts in Week #5:

NATIONAL NIELSEN SUMMARY - PRIMETIME

SEASON-TO-DATE RATINGS REPORT (09/19/11-10/23/11)

2011-12

VIEWERS

Note: DVR penetration is at 42%, up from 38% last year. Last fall, Live+7 audiences for original entertainment series on CBS gained over 1.8 million viewers, on average, over Live+ Same Day ratings, more than any other network. This season, we expect DVR penetration to continue to increase and, as a result, we expect DVR playback audiences to grow to as well.

"MESS" ~ Written and performed by KIRSTEN VANGSNESS of "CRIMINAL MINDS"

Theatre of NOTE

"MESS" ~ Written and performed by KIRSTEN VANGSNESS of "Criminal Minds" fame! "MESS" is about imaginary creatures and a lecture Kirsten saw on TED. It is 1 hour long. There will be wine and snacks. It is also very adult friendly... so get a babysitter. Kirsten Vangsness is most known for her swanky day job as fan-favorite "Garcia" on the CBS hit "Criminal Minds". Kirsten is also a proud company member of Theatre of NOTE. 2 performances only: Sunday, October 30th @ 7pm & 9pm. Tickets: $15 Ticket price includes wine and hors d'oeuvres
RESERVATIONS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED: 323-856-8611

“Hope” – It’s personal for Garcia when the BAU investigate the disappearance of a woman in her survivors’ support group whose daughter went missing seven years earlier, on CRIMINAL MINDS, Wednesday, Nov. 16 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Guest stars include Jack Coleman (“Heroes”) as Bill, a man in Garcia’s survivors support group, and Brigid Brannagh (“Army Wives”) as Monica, Garcia’s missing friend.

The theme for ‘From Childhood Hour’ is what people are ready to do to help themselves or others with their pain.

We meet the unsub George played by Patrick Stafford, a young troubled man who works as a 911 operator for the city of St-Louis. He ‘saves’ kids who are endangered by their parents’ troubles/behaviors by kidnapping the kids and asking them if they want to ‘help’ their parents by having them escape their troubles. George’s solution? Killing the parents! The twist here is that the unsub will not kill if the kids don’t want or agree to the killing. One kid will lose his mom to the unsub while another one’s, a younger one, mother will get saved by being in protective custody. The last kid the unsub will kidnapped is a teen girlwhose mother’s boyfriend was arrested after he had touched her.

Why is the unsub killing? At an early age he pushed his suicidal mom of the ledge of a bridge. Her death brought a change in the life of young George, a change for the better as he was adopted and had a better life. He is trying to do the same for the kids he abducts.

For the unsub it is all about ‘saving’ these kids, that is why he works as a 911 operator. While the unsub’s answer to cries for help is to kill people, David Rossi is faced with a similar dilemma when his first ex-wife Carolyn comes and visits him. Dave thinks Carolyn wants to get back with him. But Dave wonders if they still have that spark? Will it work this time? In a nice scene he tells Prentiss about Carolyn. Emily’s gives him this advice “We rarely get a second chance in life, take it”. After the case is resolved, we see Dave back home, sharing some wine with Carolyn, She tells him that she has something to tell him while she still as the courage to do so. They hold each other’s hands and instead of telling Dave that she wants them to get back together, she tells him that she has ALS and only has a few months to live. This shocking news hits Dave hard, then Carolyn reminds Dave of the promise they made to each other when they got their divorce, to be there in their time of need, then she asks him to help her end her life when the times comes!

The acting in that scene was top notch. Both Isabella Hoffman (who played Carolyn) and Joe Mantegna (Playing David Rossi) bring emotions and subtlety to the scene. Here we do not get over the top acting but subtle acting. We can read the shock and sadness in Dave’s teary eyes. Hoffman plays the woman who is unsure how this request will go. She is nervous, anxious.

While this episode had a disturbing theme, suicide, we had funny scenes that help with the heavy subject. Garcia and Morgan going back to what we so love from them, their sexy and sometime osé banter! Another funny scene was with Morgan and Reid at one of the victim’s home where Reid asks why women have so many pairs of shoes, that question will be asked again at the end when Morgan, Reid, JJ, Garcia and Prentiss are on their way out with JJ attempting to explain to Spencer why women do have so many shoes. Those little team moments are what makes Criminal Minds such an enjoyable show despite being very dark and disturbing. We fans live for those moments!

Only one negative comment is that the rhythm of the episode is at times a bit slow.

Very well written episode for first time Criminal Minds writer Bruce Zimmerman who was not afraid to tackle subjects like, depression, suicide and how we face the end with respect and intelligence.

FOLLOW CMRT BY EMAIL

FOLLOWERS

WHO WE ARE

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Criminal Minds Round Table. When we were positing names for this blog, and Sir Bedivere suggested Criminal Minds Round Table, we knew immediately that was the perfect name for our blog.

It fit in so many ways.

Many fans, and Ed Bernero (Criminal Minds' former Showrunner and Executive Producer) himself, compare the show and its characters to The Arthurian Legend and the Knights of the Round Table. Mr. Bernero even went so far as to say that he knew that the stories had to be “Arthurian” to appeal to the most people. The team meets to brief cases at a round table, and there are many parallels between our BAU team and the Knights and other Arthurian characters.

In addition, a Round Table discussion is what we want to have here about any and all topics Criminal Minds-related. In a Round Table discussion, each participant has equal status and equal time to present views. And finally, since this is going to be a group effort amongst a group of Criminal Minds fans, we are going to take turns around the table, with each of us posting about the show, our favorite characters and our favorite actors on the show.